Poking Books

Guest presenter Sylvia is guessing Emma's book and she's detecting some cake and Jason Donovan infused revenge...but will she be right?

It's Christmas but has today's author written a festive delight or something very unChristmassy? Only Ellie can find out in the latest instalment of our mystery author podcast with our guest, Alexandra...

Stacey thinks that breakfast is very 'current affairsy' and her books all have a very strong connection - but will Ellie guess what Stacey's book is about based on 3 books which influenced her book? Find out in the latest instalment of the mystery author podcast.

POTENTIALLY SPOILERY CONTENT WARNING: Features discussions around sex, the sex industry, infidelity, exploitation and trafficking.

Ivy arrives with plenty of rock n roll energy and then sets a surprisingly serious tone. But will this put guest guesser Corrie off? Will she guest what Ivy's book is about? Find out in another mystery author podcast...

Note: This was recorded just before all that pandemic stuff kicked off.

We've all done strange things in our lives...but delivering a vacuum cleaner to the British Embassy in Iraq? That's not something you do every day (I mean, imagine the carbon footprint for a start!) So, is our mystery author Dan's book a heartracing thriller set in Iraq? Chief guesser Ellie doesn't think so...

NOTE: This was recorded in January 2020...hence why we're all in the same room!

Sometimes things go wrong. And that's fine. Totally fine. In fact, letting something slip in our mystery author podcast isn't always that much of an issue because a book cannot be defined by one aspect alone...

WARNING: this episode contains strong language and a racial slur used in the context of describing racist toys.

Casey chats to us from the other side of the Atlantic, but what is her book about? Ellie's gone out on a limb and guessed a vigilante trucker is involved in the plot but what are the chances of that having anything to do with Casey's book...

When asked as a child which disciple she'd like to be in the Easter play, co-host Ellie answered 'Jesus'. What does this tell us about Ellie? Well, essentially very little. And challenging preconceptions is what Poking Books is all about. So, has this episode's mystery author John achieved something more than being voted most negative IT journalist in the Miller Freeman's PR Audit Guide to UK IT Scribes? As you'll find out by the end of the episode, he certainly has.

Quizmaster Corrie Pitfield covers for Ellie in this 'cheesy' edition of Poking Books. Corrie decides early on that she's sussed out author Ned's book, while Ned hurls all manner of facts at her (something he used to do years ago on a market stall with his father, apparently). But is Corrie heading along the right path or is Ned's book about something else entirely? Join us for the latest edition of the literary guessing game podcast to find out.

Yaba, the first Black African woman to study at King's College, Cambridge, seems determined to rebel against the podcast. And Ellie and Mark are oddly enjoying her derailing the show. But will Ellie guess what Yaba's book is about? Find out in the latest episode of the literary guessing game podcast...